300 Series Shinkansen

The was a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen train type, with a top operational speed of 270 km/h (170 mph), which operated on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines in Japan between 1992 and 2012. When first introduced, they were used on the fastest Nozomi services, being capable of . As more were delivered (66 trains by 1998) they replaced earlier units on Hikari service and allowed the thus displaced 100 series units to finally in turn displace 0 series units on almost all services.

With the introduction of newer 500 series, 700 series and N700 series equipment, the 300 series sets were gradually demoted to slower Hikari and Kodama services, and were completely withdrawn from Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen services by the start of the revised timetable on 17 March 2012.

Design

The front-end styling of these units consisted of a 'curved wedge', replacing the aircraft-style nose-cones of previous Shinkansen trains. The furthest forward point was the very bottom of the pilot. They were painted brilliant white with a medium-thick blue stripe beneath the windows.

They were only formed as sixteen-car sets and had no restaurant cars, though they did originally feature two refreshment counters (later removed).

Technically, they are notable for being the first Shinkansen sets to employ three-phase AC traction motors instead of direct current units, as well as new bolsterless bogies to reduce weight.

The 300 series was awarded the Laurel Prize in May 1993.

JR Central J sets

thumbnail|JR Central set J61 in February 2011

60 16-car sets (excluding pre-series set J1) operated by Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central). These sets were delivered between February 1992 and October 1998. and were completely withdrawn following the final runs on 16 March 2012.

{| class="wikitable"

! Car No.

! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! 5 !! 6 !! 7 !! style="background: #E6FFE6"| 8 !! style="background: #E6FFE6"| 9 !! style="background: #E6FFE6"| 10 !! 11 !! 12 !! 13 !! 14 !! 15 !! 16

! Designation

| Tc || M1 || Tpw || M2 || M1w || Tp || M2k || style="background: #F5FFF5"| M1s || style="background: #F5FFF5"| Tps || style="background: #F5FFF5"| M2s || M1h || Tp || M2w || M1 || Tpws || M2c

! Numbering

| 323 || 325 || 329 || 326 || 325-500 || 328 || 326-400 || style="background: #F5FFF5"| 315 || style="background: #F5FFF5"| 316 || style="background: #F5FFF5"| 319 || 325-700 || 328 || 326-500 || 325 || 329-500 || 322

! Seating capacity

| 65 || 100 || 85 || 100 || 90 || 100 || 75 || style="background: #F5FFF5"| 68 || style="background: #F5FFF5"| 64 || style="background: #F5FFF5"| 68 || 63 || 100 || 90 || 100 || 80 || 75

Cars 6 and 12 each had one single-arm pantograph.

Interior

File:JRC Shinkansen Series 300 Seats of Green car.jpg|JR Central (J set) Green class seating

File:Seat of JR Central 300.JPG|JR Central (J set) standard class seating

</gallery>

JR-West F sets (300-3000 series)

These were 16-car 300 series sets operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR-West). A total of nine sets were delivered between December 1992 and September 1993. The last remaining sets were withdrawn by spring 2012 and replaced by eight 700 series "C" sets transferred from JR Central.

Preserved examples

322-9001 (ex-prototype set J1, built 1990 by Hitachi) at the SCMaglev and Railway Park, Nagoya, since March 2011.
323-20 (ex-set J21, built 1993 by Nippon Sharyo) formerly at the SCMaglev and Railway Park, Nagoya, from March 2011, removed in December 2013.

File:J1 322-9001 Hamamatsu Works Open Day 20070722.JPG|Preserved car 322-9001 of prototype set J1 at Hamamatsu Works in July 2007

File:SCMaglev and Railway Park Shinkansen Train Zone.jpg|Preserved car 323-20 (foreground) and 322-9001 at SCMaglev and Railway Park in March 2011